Live robotic milking display returns in 2016

Getting things set up on the Lely stand prior to the opening of the Balmoral Show are Ross Sanaghan, and John Drayne from Lisburn and Jim Irwin from Lely Centre, Eglish.

Published:09:36Friday 13 May 2016

In what is sure to once again be a huge attraction at this year’s Balmoral Show Lely in association with Drayne’s farm will host a live robotic milking exhibition from 11th-13th May.

Forty cows will make the short journey from Lisburn to a purpose built dairy unit at Balmoral Park where they will be milked at their leisure during the Show as they are on the home farm.

Speaking at the show launch Michael Drayne from Draynes Farm said: “We were delighted with the reception from the local public at the 2015 show and we had no hesitation in teaming up with the event organisers and Lely once again.

“We are excited that the public will have the opportunity of seeing our cows in action once more in a real live environment where they will experience first-hand how efficient the system is and how well the cows are cared for.

“The Lely robotic milking system and its excellent management tools have really freed up invaluable time on our farm to look after the welfare of our cows and for me welfare is everything,” explains Michael.

“We’ve been milking cows here in Lisburn for over 80 years, our family business has grown over those years and we now supply milk and cream products to customers across three counties of Northern Ireland. We recently started to make ice-cream with our milk and cream and we are pleased to announce that we will be showcasing the ice cream on the Lely stand at the show this year. So not only will the public see our cows producing wholesome fresh milk they will also have the opportunity of buying some delicious ice-cream,” concluded Michael.

Lely’s Tomás Cooney commented: “Cows are milked more often than in a traditional system and the Lely Astronaut recognizes each cow individually. Every event from birth until the day she leaves the farm is stored on the T4C (time for cows) management program which is then very clearly presented in a dashboard format.

“It enables the farmer to supply an individual cow with all her needs for optimal health, milk production and well being.”

Jim Irwin from Lely Center Eglish who as well as 24/7 back up, provide advice in all areas from barn design, layout, and installation along with start-up noted that they will have live interviews with some of their customers on the stand each day at 11am, 2pm and 4pm.

He said: “Who better is there to share their knowledge than those farmers who are using the system on a daily basis

“Different topics from grazing, to labour saving and comparing conventional to robotic milking will be discussed and the public will also see how easy it is to manage your herd from the palm of your hand from anywhere in the world with Lely Inherd.”

Lely introduced their first robotic milking machine in 1992 and today has over 24,000 working worldwide milking over a 1.2 million cows daily.

With the long and demanding hours that milking takes the Lely Astronaut A4 robotic milking system frees up invaluable time for dairy farmers and their families allowing them to concentrate on other farm duties. The system is so flexible that many customers can simply check their smart phone when at the show and know exactly what is happening at home.

Lely directs all its efforts towards creating a sustainable, profitable and enjoyable future in farming for its customers. Lely is the only company to supply the agricultural sector with a complete portfolio of products and services ranging from forage harvesting to automated feeding systems, barn cleaners and milking robots.